Falling From Grace
by OnyxbirdGrace
Summary: It has been many years since that faithful winter's night. Raven is still searching for the truth and the meaning behind all that happened. It isn't until she meets the Elric brothers that everything begins to clear up. Will she be able to help the girl she recognized with their help and maintain the bond she formed with them, especially Edward? EdxOC AlxOC Main Sisterhood story
1. Prolouge

I'm sure some of you remember my old fan-fiction, The Element Alchemist. Well, I wrote that back in 7th and 8th grade. Yikes. This is the rewritten, revamped, re-everything version and at a graduated AP senior's writing level (well, mine at least). The title is still under construction I guess. It's between this title, Stand Up, Stand Up and Go, and Keep Moving Forward. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know.

This story is in collaboration with afalconofmanyfeathers' fic, Sisterhood. It's always been in collaboration. Back when it was The Element Alchemist and The Primal Alchemist.

Now then, I will stop taking up time and space. Enjoy.

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Icy rain had been pouring that night causing the already cold of the winter to be even colder. It was the kind of night that barely anybody would dare to leave the warmth of home. But there were two who did who were too young to truly know the consequences. But that would become clearer later.

The young black-haired girl pushed on the door of the next-door auto-mail shop. She shouted for her friend and was soon greeted by her. She explained her plan in a hushed tone as so her friend's parents would not hear. The girl's brown-haired friend was reluctant at first but after some convincing, she agreed and snuck out into the night.

They arrived at an old shed, decrepit and probably standing for it's last winter. The two small figures pushed open the door and quickly shut it behind them to escape the harsh weather. The two girls rushed to light the old place and then moved to set the stage.

The floor was soon marked up with one of-if not _the _- worst sign in the craft: the sign of the Taboo. In the middle of the circle was a pan of the items they needed to get the job done. The looked at each other and sighed. Soon enough, it would be too late to turn back. They moved to their spots and sat on their knees.

"Erm…Raven…?" the brown-haired girls voice meekly spoke up, addressing her black-haired friend. "I don't really know about this… I mean…" Her equally brown eyes looked around the old place, looking at how it was being held together by mere pieces of wood. "I'm not afraid or anything but at the same time don't you suppose this isn't one of our more brilliant ideas?"

Raven, whose pale gold eyes were focusing on the markings on the floor, brought her attention to her friend, looking up through her now messy black. The bravado in her voice was and obvious façade as her body shook. "Of course! Yeah, sure, it's dangerous but well…" She flashed a grin, that of a young girl trying to convince someone. "C'mon Sybil, we can finally take back what we've unfairly lost. Doesn't that seem to be more important than something that poses a risk to us?"

Her friend's frown deepens as the memories of her late older brother enter her mind. Sybil stares at Raven, knowing that her two older sisters had met the same fate as him but through this very act they were about to commit. She sighs deeply and smiles. "Right. I remember that your sister…" Sybil stopped, unsure about how to go about this and instead stutters out her words. "Were…erm…you know…by this very thing we're planning on doing now."

Raven's eyes darken with sadness and her smile is interrupted. "I'm aware of what happened to them but it won't happen to us."

"How are you so sure? We can d-"

Raven shouts her friends name in anger as said friend flinches. "Don't you dare say we're going to die too! I don't want to hear you say that! Think of Hunter, wouldn't he want to hugs you at least one more time? Or even Ember and Alexa? They would be happy to come home! To come back, back with us!"

Sybil waited for Raven to finish, watching as her friend's shoulders shook with held back sobs. She shook her head and smiled once more. "Well, then I guess there's nothing to worry about…"

The black-haired girl looked up and her spirits rose, giving her friend a grin and getting back into position. "Then let's get this thing in gear!" Her friend nods, her mind racing as she does.

The icy torrent of rain that had been thrashing down upon the solid grounds of the town of Skelton, encasing everything in a frigid tomb. Not to mention the wind was screeching at the very top of it's lungs, so mush that it was certain it's vocal cords would shatter.

The two young girls readied themselves whilst also trying to calm down their hearts and adrenaline. Everything was ready and they refused to acknowledge the risk. Looking at each other, they raised their hands and slammed them down on the lines drawn on the floor.

Silence fell upon the shed and for a second they thought it didn't work. But such a peace didn't last long as blue static emitted from the Circle. They smiled. Maybe this could work…

Suddenly, a girl with flaxen hair, about the same age as the other two, burst through the already splintering door. The shed began to tremble, trying to keep itself together from the forces attacking it from both out and inside. Raven hears her name being called from the direction of the stranger as the light from the Circle changed to a blood red. Something was wrong. She turned in time to watch as this strange girl pushed her out of the way and steady herself on the Circle. Raven fell to her side only to be met by Sybil.

"Who the heck-?!" Raven began to say, interrupted by Sybil's words. She looked at the stranger and was met by a terrible headache. Headache was an understatement. _Who is she? How does she know me? Wait… I think it's… Could it be?_ She focused on the girl and but a single word came out. "Hayden…"

The lighter haired girl looked back at Raven and smiled. "Yes Raven," she responded. Raven felt something in her mind, something like a lock breaking. This feeling of freedom however did not last long as black tendrils rose from the Circle and caught Raven's leg.

The tendrils tugged at her leg before the flesh appeared to disintegrate at knee. Pain shot through her body and screamed such a terrible scream that a fragment of herself wondered if it was her or if it was even human. It was like having an out of body experience. There so was much blood…and it was all hers… The screaming stopped and she blacked out for a short time…

When she awoke, the girl she called Hayden shouted to run. Though she was right there, her voice sounded far away. Sybil hoisted Raven up and began to move as fast as she could. Raven's eyes were blank and faraway but she was still conscious. Barely. She saw a horse standing in the doorway of the shed.

She heard Hayden say something that sounded like "Take them." Was she taking to the horse? Raven tried to glance back at the Circle and Hayden and saw more of the tendril grabbing at the other girl's body. She saw her mouth move once more before being lifted up onto the horse's back by Sybil. The horse did not budge though. It stayed completely still even when they were ready to take off.

From her glassy eyes, Raven saw the very tendrils that caused her this pain begin to drag the other girl closer to the Circle. The horse stepped forward as if to rescue her. Hayden yelled something but between fighting for consciousness and the weather outside, Raven couldn't hear.

The horse staggered and then ran off reluctantly, carrying the two girls away. Feeling herself fading, Raven looked back one last time only to see both the shed and the girl disappear.

Everything went black...

Raven awoke with a start. She looked around to find herself in one of the rooms the Rathbones, Sybil's parents, had for their patients. Had she fallen asleep on one of their couches, waiting for Sybil? Had all that been a dream? She felt tired and sore. Maybe walking around for a little will loosen and wake her up.

She stretched and yawned, closing her eyes and swinging her legs to the side of the bed. _Hmm, my right leg must have fallen asleep… Oh well… _She stood…

And fell.

This has happened before when her leg or foot falls asleep so she shrugged it off and sat up only to scream.

_I'm still dreaming! This isn't real!_

Mrs. Rathbone came running in and knelt besides Raven, trying to cam her down.

"No, no, no… It was a dream. It didn't happen! It was a dream!"

Sybil came running in a bit after, various bandages on her body. Her mother was holding Raven, trying to calm her down before she went into shock. "Sybil, go get her parents. Tell them she woke up and she needs them." Nodding, Sybil went.

Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Grace came running in, taking Mrs. Rathbones place, and holding their daughter.

"It's okay. It's okay," her father whispered.

"I just can't believe you tried that," her mother said. "Just, thank goodness you're okay."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Raven chanted like it was the only thing she knew how to say. She felt her parents' warmth leave her and was lifted back onto the bed.

"You…" she heard her mother say and opened her eyes, stopping her two word mantra. Her mother was looking at Sybil. "You're the reason this happened."

"Mom, no," Raven spoke up; wiping the tears she didn't know she shed. "It's not her fault. It was mine. I came here with the suggestion. I set everything up. It was my idea."

Mrs. Grace's look softened as she turned to her daughter. "Where did you get such an idea?"

"Ember…Alexa…" Raven spoke. "I miss them. And Hunter…. I found the books in the basement… I thought…maybe…"

"At least we didn't lose you…" her mother sighed as her father hugged her.

"But…" Raven muttered, looking down at her leg.

"Don't worry about that," her father said. "We'll take care of you."

"Or…" Mrs. Rathbone spoke up. "We can do something. Give you a discount. It's the least we can do to get you walking around for good."

Raven looked from Mrs. Rathbone to her parents, full of hope. After looking at each other for a little, the two older Graces nodded. Mrs. Rathbone smiled. "Okay, I'll tell my husband. We'll start measurements and everything tomorrow," she said but then paused, looking at Raven. "This is a very long and painful process. You want to go through with it?"

She nodded. This was a stupid mistake and she had to fix it. Getting herself back on her feet was the part. Finding that girl and making sure she's okay was the second.

"Alright," Mrs. Rathbone smiled and then turned to the couple. "James, Estha, you should let Raven rest. It's been tough on her and she needs her rest for tomorrow."

Agreeing, the Graces said goodbye and goodnight to their daughter and walked out with Mrs. Rathbone, leaving only Sybil in the room with Raven.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Sybil asked, breaking the silence. Raven nodded, watching her friend sit on the bed. Her tone became hushed. "Raven, do you know who that was that saved us?"

Once again, Raven nodded but also spoke up. "Yes, I do… Her name is Hayden… She's my younger sister…"

"So the lock your mom put on your mind finally broke."

"I guess so…"

"Do you think she's okay? I mean the shed…"

"Yes, she's okay. I know she is. She has to be. I'll find her then maybe this whole mess will clear up."

Sybil noticed a change in her friend. The once bright look in her eyes was now weak. The transmutation circle took more than her leg it seemed. She reached over, placed her hand on Raven's, smiling softly. Raven returned the smile, ready for anything now. She had seen things and now she was ready to find out more, find out all this truth.

That was many years ago.

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Please review. It helps a ton. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update, how about that? :3


	2. Weird Day

Here you go guys. Now the ball starts rolling and we get a glimpse of the boys.

I don't own anything other than Raven and Elexa.

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It was a normal spring day in the town of Skelton. Grace Clinic was at normal occupancy, causing James and Estha to work at a normal pace. Raven was up on her balcony, a book at her side and staring at the wooded area behind her house. Somewhere in there were the ruins of the shed but she didn't have the heart to go and look. Sighing, she decided to check up on the activity in the clinic and stood from her chair, almost tripping over a bundle of orange fur.

"Oh! Elexa!" the girl exclaimed as a face glared at her. " I forgot you were there!"

Elexa, a cat-sixed fox that Raven saved not long after she learned how to walk again. It was dark that dark and Raven's parents had to attend to an emergency across town. Raven, with her new leg and being restless went off alone into the forest. Originally, she was going to look for the ruins but instead went in the direction of some whining she heard. She found a young female fox, licking at a badly cut leg.

"You poor thing…" the young girl said, slowly approaching the hurt animal. "Come here. Can I help you?"

The fox let Raven come close to her and even touch her.

"This is a nasty cut… Your leg is probably broken too…" Raven murmured to the fox. "The shed can wait, you need help. I'll be right back, I promise."

With that, she turned and ran awkwardly back to her house, still not completely used to her new leg. She grabbed a spare blanket and ran back to the find the fox more alert now. Almost as if she was waiting.

"There you go, girl," Raven said softly as she wrapped up and picked her up gently. "You'll be okay. I'll take care of you."

She carried the young fox back home and placed her on one of the empty patient beds. Raven tended to the fox's cut and found out that it had a small break in her leg. She set the break and wrapped the leg up in bandages before setting up some water and food.

The fox seemed relaxed with Raven and allowed her to pet and touch her after taking care of her. She seemed to like Raven.

The girl's parents came home and found this animal on one of their beds.

"Raven, sweetie, we're not vets," her mother said, examining the wounded fox.

"But she's hurt! Badly! I can take care of her!" Raven pleaded. "Foxes aren't that different from cats and dogs. You can check her for rabies and make sure it's safe. I can take care of her."

Her father looked at her mother and sighed. "Alright. We'll check the fox for rabies and if it's safe, you can keep it here until it recovers."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Raven said, hugging both of her parents. "And can I keep her after she recovers? Please?"

"She's a wild animal, Raven," her mother said. "You can't. And even if you did, it would be right."

"But I read somewhere that you can tame foxes! Let me try! Please?"

"Fine. Fine. We'll see how this works. But if this fox hurts you, it's over. And you'll be completely honest to us, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Raven hugged her parents tight and returned to the fox's side. "I know what to name her too!"

"Really? What?" her father asked curiously.

"Elexa! Ember and Alexa combined! In their memory."

Her parents eyes widened, memories of their late daughters coming back to them and a sharp reminder that they almost lost Raven to the same exact fate. They looked at each other and their gaze softened eventually looking back at their daughter.

"That's a wonderful name, sweetie," her father smiled at her.

Weeks and then months later, the fox now named Elexa healed; Her leg good as new due to the care of Raven, the animal care books she found, and the small amount of medical alchemy she knew. Elexa even stuck around afterwards, trotting around the house like a dog and curling up on the furniture like a cat. She would leave every now and again but always would return when it got dark.

Raven's parents eventually acknowledged Elexa as a pet and began to take care of her as well. Raven made a collar for her and Elexa established a spot in the Grace family.

She was always near Raven when she studied her interests, read, and practiced alchemy and seemed to make it stronger.

The fox skirted away as Raven stood and brought her book with her inside. She realized there was a pile of books due today so before checking up on the clinic she decided to return them.

Considering Skelton was a small town, the library was just a short walk away. She left her house, Elexa trotting behind her and made her way to the library.

She arrived at the front door of the library but had trouble opening it. Raven muttered to herself trying her best to grab at least a little bit of the handle to open it but to no avail.

Suddenly, something bumped into her and sent some, actually most of her books falling.

"Oof," the voice sounded male but she couldn't see as she lost her balance and fell as well. "Oh man! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help."

Raven was busy rubbing her hip from the fall and reassuring Elexa she was okay when a gloved hand entered her view.

"Brother! You really need to be more careful!" There was another voice that seemed to have a reverb, like an echo.

Raven looked up and saw a red sleeve. She reached for the hand and looked up to see his face. She blushed.

The owner of the hand and the one who bumped into her had golden hair and equally golden eyes that out hers to shame. When they made eye contact, a light dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks as well. He was at least her age.

Raven grabbed ahold of his hand as he helped her stand. As soon as she was up, he knelt down with his odd looking companion and picked up her fallen books. _That one. The one that called him brother… Is he wearing armor? Guess that will explain the echo. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder…_

"I'm so sorry," the blond said again, his arms now full of her books.

"Yeah. Let us return these for you," the armor clad one said. His voice sounded younger that his "brother's" but he was much taller. Ah well.

Raven followed the two inside to the counter, her gaze often drifting to the boy.

"There," he said, placing his fists on his hips and grinning at her. Her blush returned. "Well, we must be going now. I'm so sorry about bumping into you."

"I-it's fine," Raven managed to say at last. She glanced from the blond boy, to the one in armor, and back to the boy, smiling. "Tank you for bringing my books in."

"It's the least we could do after my brother so _rudely _bumped into you," the boy in armor said looking down at his brother. Through the armor, Raven could feel him smiling.

"Hey! I said I was sorry," the blond smiled up at him and then over at Raven, the blush returning to his face. "W-we'll see you around maybe, okay?"

Raven nodded, smiling at the two and waved as they turned and left the library. She hoped what he said would come true.

Walking away from the library, the blond boy looked up at his brother. "Who was that?" he asked.

"I don't know," he answered. He seemed to smirk at his brother. "Why? You wouldn't happen to have a quick little crush on her, would you?"

The boy pushed his companion, his face red.

Raven returned to her house in a daze. Who were those two? Today was a strange day indeed.

She began to climb the stairs of the house, Elexa at her feet. She saw her parents rushing around between the clinic and the house, separated by a wall and door.

"Um…"

"Oh, Raven!" Her father turned around and looked at her on the stair. "There was a fight in town. Someone got pretty beat up, we heard. We're going to go check it out. Can you get a bed ready in case?"

"Sure." Raven nodded and went back down the stair and entered the clinic.

Grace Clinic was just that, a clinic. They specialized in check-ups, illnesses, and injuries but anything too serious and you would be transported to the big hospital the next town over.

The clinic had it's own entrance of course and was connected tot the Grace house via the door mentioned before. The house had two floors while the clinic had only one. The Rathbone's auto-mail shop and house was right next-door of the Grace house.

Raven's parents left, a medical kit and a folding stretcher in tow and she began to set up a room close to the house entrance.

_A fight? _Raven thought, fluffing the pillows. _Who would fight here? This is such a quiet town. Maybe it's out-of-towners… I wonder if those boys are okay…"_

Minutes later, the doors of the clinic burst open causing Elexa, who was resting on the patient's bed, to jump in fright and hop off.

"Raven! Got that room ready?!" she heard her mother shout.

"Yes mom! Room two!" she shouted, hearing her parents take out a rolling stretcher and place something on it. Her parents rolling in the stretcher and on it was the blond boy she met at the library, bleeding from his chest and moaning in pain.

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